Make Me Stronger
by razmatazz3000
Summary: He just wanted to fix things. He never thought that it would lead to this. Chris Sabin x Alex Shelley. TNA slash.


**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the wrestlers mentioned in this story. This is purely a work of fiction, and I am not earning any profit from this. I do, however, own the original characters that are in this. No stealing.

**Author's Notes:**  
How long has it been? No, seriously! I feel old now. Anyways, sorry for not writing anything for the past few weeks. I was busy with school. Plus, I had to practice for this spelling competition after school because my teachers are sadistic like that. Is it my fault that I've never heard of 'soliloquy'? Goddamn. Okay, moving on. I'm trying out a different tone this time. This story is a wee bit sad, compared to my other stuff. But, it's longer. Seriously, 10 pages. I was happy.

As always, please review and tell me what you thought of this. I love to get feedback. They make me smile.

* * *

**Make Me Stronger**

Dawn was closing in.

Alex Shelley leaned his head back, draping one of his legs across the other. He sighed. The exhalation was almost silent but it was enough to show that he wasn't properly relaxed, despite his position. His eyes were beginning to tire from the lack of sleep. No surprise to him, as his last few nights had been restless as well. It was taking its toll on his body. His head felt heavy, as if he could feel a headache coming on. His back, having been assuming the same posture for hours now, was starting to become sore as well. On top of that, the agitated fidgeting of his own fingers was starting to drive him crazy.

However, discomfort was the furthest thing from his mind.

His problems went deeper and further than that. He was distressed. Close to insanity, even. The past few days had sent him through a rollercoaster of emotions. Irritation, anger, resentment, sadness, grief; it was enough for him to break down. He didn't, though. He had come close, yes, but he knew better than to fall. Falling would mean that he had surrendered. Alex knew he was stronger than that.

At least, he hoped so.

"_Oh, you are just… just damn typical, Chris."_

_Chris' eyes burned into Alex's, as he heatedly argued, "I'm being typical? You've got that the wrong way! We wouldn't even be arguing about this if you would just trust me! You're overreacting!"_

"_Trust you? How the hell am I supposed to trust you?" The tone of his voice was vengeful. As Chris started to reply, Alex held a hand up, signaling that he was not finished. "You go out at midnight, you don't come home until 6 AM, and you won't even tell me where the fuck you've been! Tell me, Chris, am I overreacting?"_

"_I don't know, Alex, are you? All I did was go out, for God's sake! What's so wrong about going out, huh? Perhaps I wanted to get away from this crappy little apartment of ours?"_

"_Oh, please. This 'crappy little apartment'," Alex stressed the last three words with air quotes. "…is literally all we have! Sad, isn't it? I know! I just never knew that you hated it so much that you had to actually leave in the middle of the fucking night without even telling me where you went! Where did you go that was important that it had to be kept a secret, Chris? A goddamn brothel?"_

"_It's not like that! If you actually took the time and decency to actually have a tiny bit of faith in me, maybe you would see that!"_

"_I do have faith in you!" The brunette cried out. He looked to hesitate for a moment, but in a quiet voice, he spoke, "Well, I used to, anyways."_

_At that, Chris swallowed._

_Alex seemed to soften at this, as he tried to explain himself, saying, "I don't… I don't really mean that, Chris, I just…"_

"_No," he shook his head, stepping back. Before turning away and leaving, he muttered, "Forget it."_

_The door closed behind him._

"Alex."

He didn't need to turn his head to know who it was. It was his good friend, Jay Lethal. Alex simply nodded.

"You okay?" The younger man inquired, his concern showing through the crease in his forehead. "What're you thinking about?"

"Things."

"Ah," Jay nodded, as he sat down onto a seat beside him. Awkwardly, he tried to start a conversation. "So, uh… You like how things are going for you at TNA?"

Alex seemed to ponder for a few seconds, before replying, "It's alright. I'm busy as hell but I can get by with that."

A silence passed.

"So… I hit on a waitress last night," Jay said, absentmindedly.

"Uh huh. How did it go?" If Alex was interested in the topic, he certainly didn't show it.

"Pretty good. I came to the restaurant alone, so I figured there'd be no harm in having a lil' bit of fun," he answered. "That is, until Val saw me stroking her cheek."

Alex finally turned to look at Jay. "What did she say?"

"I didn't really catch it, she got really mad at me and started screaming stuff. You know how girls get when they're screaming… I couldn't hear a damn thing."

Seeing as Alex didn't say anything at that, Jay continued, "Anyways, she stormed off to a spa, to cool off. Sonjay was there. Apparently he saw the whole thing and went to comfort her. Man, I never should've hit on that waitress chick. I screwed up."

"You did screw up," Alex agreed.

He had to wonder if he was saying that to Jay or to himself.

"_I never should've gotten into this shit in the first place," Chris muttered to himself, shaking his head as he walked. "Never should've told him how I felt."He managed to laugh at that. Even to his own ears, his words felt insincere. Of course he didn't mean that. Starting a relationship with Alex was one of the best decisions of his life. Every relationship had problems though, and theirs was no exception. He didn't think they would actually have a row that was this bad, but they couldn't possibly be over. He didn't think that he could live with himself if he somehow managed to ruin what they had._

_Continuing to walk, his mind replayed the fight that happened merely a few minutes before. It repeated itself again and again in his head, and it was agonizing to Chris. It was similar to watching a movie that was specifically about the worst mistakes of his life. He had to be strong, though._

_They couldn't be over, they just couldn't._

_And to think that the whole thing started with Alex's trust issues. Chris understood, though. He knew how it would seem. He left at midnight, and he didn't return until a good several hours afterwards. It looked bad, yes, but he was doing it for them. If only he could get Alex to identify with that. If only he knew what Chris was really doing. _

_He had only wanted to surprise him._

_Right now, all of his efforts to keep it a surprise seemed so petty. After all, no matter how thorough the plan was, if it was enough to break the two of them apart, Chris was wiling to give that up. But he knew how much Alex would appreciate what he had done once it was out in the open, he knew it. He could practically imagine the exact look of happiness that would take over Alex's face once he told the truth._

"_I can get through this," he whispered, closing his eyes and rubbing his temples with his fingertips. If he could just finish up on the last details of his plan, the whole fight would most likely be forgotten._

_Chris continued to walk, though he wasn't even sure of his destination. He had left the crummy apartment that he and Alex had shared and had walked blindly since then. He looked around. The area was familiar; it was one of their usual places to spend time with each other. He knew the vicinity like the back of his hand._

_Pondering his options for a while, he decided that he would go to the nearby hotel which was a few blocks from where he was, and get a room for the night. He needed time to clear his head, and going back to their place was obviously not a good idea. A hotel seemed convenient, as he handily had his credit card with him._

_Now knowing where he was headed to, he started to walk again._

_As he approached the front entrance of the hotel, a husky, seductive voice stopped him before he could go in. "Hey, pretty boy."_

_He turned his head to his side, seeing a figure of a shadow there, but the darkness of the night made it difficult for him to properly analyze the man's face._

_The stranger slowly stepped forward. The slight sway in his hips and the way his lips pressed together in a pout showedChris exactly how confident the man was in himself. A few more steps and he was directly in front of Chris. He spoke with a minor lisp, and the second time around, it was even huskier than before. "You want a good time tonight?"_

_A prostitute._

_Chris shook his head, not even considering his options. He answered, "No thanks, buddy."_

_In a second, the man was alone again, as Chris had immediately pushed the door of the hotel open and entered._

"You must really like Val, huh?" Alex clicked his tongue, a small smile forming on his face. Jay nodded his head up and down, a big grin on his face. "Why'd you hit on the other girl in the first place?"

Shrugging his shoulders, and Jay muttered, "I don't know, man. I was just really bored, and the chick was cute, I wasn't thinking straight."

"You should go apologize to her. Make it up to her, y'know. She's probably expecting that from you right now."

"Do you think I haven't tried that, man? She won't even talk to me." Jay sadly hung his head low. He added, "And I bet Sonjay had something to do with it, too."

"Relax, man," Alex tried to console him. "She'll probably forget it in a few weeks."

He pondered Alex's statement, before deciding that he quite liked it. "Yeah, she is a cool girl."

"Very cool," Alex nodded, praising her. "And sweet, too."

A smile curved in Jay's face, as he suggested, "Does that remind you of someone?"

The brunette managed to chuckle at that, nodding. He was silent as he lowered his gaze down, staring at his shoelaces.

"Hey, Alex," Jay whispered, laying a comforting hand on Alex's shoulder. "It'll be okay."

_Chris threw his jacket across the hotel room, and exhaled loudly. He didn't quite realize just how tired he really was, until he dropped his body onto the bed. He felt utterly spent, to the extent that he almost felt asleep the moment he hit the mattress. He didn't even care that his clothes would be wrinkled in the morning, as all he cared about was the softness of the cotton comforter covering his body._

_Before he could doze off, though, a knock on the door interrupted him. He groaned. Whoever it was, they had certainly picked the worst timing ever. Chris assumed that it was someone from housekeeping or something similar, and figured that he'd deal with them tomorrow._

_To his annoyance, the person at the door kept knocking. Chris was not tolerable of persistence, especially not in the middle of the night. Exasperatedly, he threw the comforter to the side and left the comfort of his bed to attend to his unwanted guest._

_He didn't bother to see who it was first, before swinging open the door and complaining, "What?"_

_He didn't receive an immediate reply. In front of him stood the prostitute from before, a playful smirk on his handsome face. "Geez, someone's pissed."_

_Furrowing his brows, Chris demanded, "What do you want, man?"_

"_Nothing much, really," the young man giggled, though it sounded more similar to a moan. "Just for you to reconsider my offer… pretty boy."_

"_For heaven's sake, no! How the hell did you even know where my room was?" He sent a questioning look to the stranger._

"_It wasn't difficult, babe. I just worked a little bit of my charm with the perverted old bastard at the reception, so that I could get what I wanted," he muttered. "…you."_

"_Look," Chris firmly looked the man in the eyes. "I. Am. Not. Interested. Hell, I'm in a relationship, okay?"_

_Another giggle left the prostitute's lips. "Sweetheart, they all say that. Do you know where they end up later? They end up fucking me in bed, boyfriends and girlfriends be damned."_

_Chris rolled his eyes, but before he could interject, the man continued, "I don't see what's the problem here. I won't tell a soul if you won't."_

"_You done?" Chris questioned, receiving a casual nod. "Good. Now, leave."_

_As Chris began to close the door, the man's hand shot forward, holding it open._

"_What the hell? Look, buddy, I…"_

"_It's Luke," the man interrupted, hand still in the way of Chris closing the door._

"_What?"_

_He shrugged. "My name is Luke."_

_Chris sighed, not bothering to wonder why a prostitute was telling him his name. "Luke. I'm sorry and all, but you can't just waltz on by my hotel room and expect me to agree with you. The fact of the matter is, I have a boyfriend. Just because we had a fight, I still don't think he would appreciate me fucking you."_

_Luke ignored the considerable sarcasm. "Are you kidding me? You're seriously saying that you don't want me?"_

_Chris allowed his eyes to take in Luke's appearance. As much as Chris hated to admit it, he was attractive. He was obviously dressed for attention, as his clothes seemed to be painted onto his body. He had the typical good-looking young man's facial features, with sharp almond eyes and full lips._

_He wasn't Alex, though._

"We had a fight."

Jay dropped his arm to the side, listening intently to what Alex was saying. "About what?"

"Some stupid shit, I don't remember," Alex replied, reaching forward and toying with the stark white sheets. "I really thought that we could get through anything."

"You _can_ get through anything," the younger man encouraged, not wanting his friend to lose his spirit. "Hell, you guys are the closest couple in the whole company."

Alex smiled. "Thanks. For everything."

Jay returned the smile, nodding politely as he stood up from his seat. "No problem. Take care, man."

He listened as Jay left the room. Without looking back, Alex could basically tell that Jay had walked to Sonjay and Val, who had both fell asleep on the chairs outside.

Alex took a deep breath. He allowed his gaze to wander over to the bed in front of him.

Without warning, he felt his eyes brimming with tears.

"_Seriously, I'm not interested."_

_A pause followed, as Luke seemed to think for a while. He shook his head. "No."_

"_No?"_

"_You're lying."_

"_And you're in denial," Chris pointed out. "I doubt that I'll change my mi-"_

_Before Chris could finish his sentence, Luke had pulled out a shiny, metal object from the back of his jeans._

"_Whoa, whoa!" He held both of his hands up in fright, eyes widening. "What the hell is the gun for!"_

"_Look, pretty boy," Luke whispered, and Chris could practically hear the venom in his voice. "We would be all fine and fucking peachy keen if you would've just went with the flow."_

"_L-look," Chris swallowed. "I don't even have any money!"_

"_Don't lie to me." The other man cocked his head to the side, a bemused expression on his face._

"_Luke, I'm telling the truth!" Chris' heartbeat was quickening by the second as Luke pressed the cold metal of the revolver to the side of his face._

_The scoff on Luke's face showed his disapproval. He muttered, "I should've known from the looks of you that you're useless."_

"_Wait, what are you doing? No!"_

"_Sweet dreams, pretty boy."_

"I should've just trusted you." Alex bitterly smiled, willing himself not to cry. He had done enough of that during the first few hours after he had arrived at the hospital. In fact, he hadn't even paid attention during the doctor was explaining the details. He had stopped listening after the doctor had said '_he's going to be okay_.' The only thing he heard afterwards were disconcerting words like_hotel_, _bullet_, _MP_-_25_. He didn't need to be a genius to piece it all together and figure out what had happened.

Chris was shot.

No matter how much Alex repeated it in his head, it all seemed so surreal to him. Why would anybody want to hurt Chris? He wasn't even capable of killing a fly, and all of a sudden somebody decides to _shoot_ him? How was that fair? It didn't help that Alex was blaming himself, either. He kept telling himself that if he had just stopped being so paranoid about Chris' whereabouts, they wouldn't have had the fight in the first place and Chris wouldn't have gone to the hotel.

Alex gazed at the pale, fragile man in the bed in front of him. He could practically feel his heart break into little pieces. Chris looked so frail, so weak. He didn't deserve _any_ of this.

He looked away. Seeing him unconscious was bad enough, but to see him so delicate, lying in a hospital bed was pure torture. He kept his attention focused on the bedside table, before something caught his eye. It was a large brown envelope, placed next to Chris' other belongings, including his wallet and his watch. Alex carefully took the envelope. He was desperate for something else to concentrate on, but at the same time, he was curious as well.

Opening it, he read the first few lines.

'_Apartment lease_?' Alex raised his eyebrows in perplexity before it hit him.

Chris had got them a new apartment.

"Oh my God." Quickly, he closed the envelope, sealing it tight with the string buttons. He swallowed. Was that why Chris had been disappearing in the middle of the night? He was looking for a new place? Or, had he been working another job?

Either way, it made Alex feel horrible.

Reaching forward, he cradled Chris' hand in his. He felt the tears threaten to fall again, but this time, he simply allowed them to come. There was no use in trying to stay strong anymore. The only thing that kept him strong before was Chris. His own hand trembled as he brushed his lips against Chris' knuckles.

"I'm so sorry." He let out a choked sob, before frantic tears rushed down his face and his composure broke.

He felt a few comforting hands stroking his back and shoulders.

"It's gonna be alright," Val assured as she took a seat next to him, swathing a graceful arm across Alex's neck. "He's a fighter."

"Yeah, man." Alex heard Sonjay's voice from behind him. "He's fighting for you. You both need to stay strong, you can get through this."

Alex cupped a hand over his face, taking a deep breath. "I know."

Val smiled in a caring manner. She allowed Alex to rest his head on her shoulder as she, together with Sonjay and Alex, observed Chris, still and unmoving.

x

"So, how do you like it?"

The tenant had a polite smile on her face as she walked towards Alex, who was surveying the view from the window.

Alex turned to her. Nodding towards the window, he said, "The view is gorgeous."

She grinned. "I've been told the same thing by a few of the past owners."

"Well yeah, this place is amazing."

"Your friend did say that you would like it," she kindly said, gesturing to the whole living room.

A pause followed.

"My friend?"

"Yeah. The one who signed the lease. Tall guy, about six feet, blonde streaks in his hair…"

"Chris?" He asked.

She nodded, seeming to be familiar with the name. "That's his name, if I'm not mistaken."

"My boyfriend."

"Oh?" Her eyes brightened. "Lucky you!"

Alex chuckled. "I know."

At that moment, Alex's phone began to ring.

"Excuse me for a moment," he flashed the tenant a small smile, before walking a few steps away from her.

Humming softly, she looked around. The lease had been signed for quite some time, but the apartment had stayed empty. She had wondered about that, and was about to ask about it before she got a call from the man, Chris, asking her to show a friend of his around the place.

"Miss?"

"Yeah?" She turned around, seeing Alex. She hadn't noticed him returning.

"That was Chris," he stated, shoving his phone inside his pocket. "We're moving in next week."

**-end.-**


End file.
